Like Mother, Like Daughter
by PocketSevens
Summary: Aerin Galinda Tiggular, the oldest daughter of Elphaba Milena Tiggular, started resembling her mother in more ways than one. Story idea derived from vinkinwildflowerqueen's "Moments of the Ever After". Post-musical and post Carlie's "Ever After" series.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - first off, I want to give a huge THANK YOU to vinkunwildflowerqueen for allowing me to write this story. Reading some of her older stories, "Ever Ever After", "Moments of the Ever After" and "In the After", I had an idea for a one-shot. However, instead of a one-shot, I ended up with six chapters.**

 **As a lot of this story's elements are pulled from the three stories listed above, I do recommend reading those first. Note tat t** **his story's title is taken from the title of Chapter 8 in "Moments of the Ever After".**

 **Thank you so much for allowing me to write this, Carlie. :)**

 **Disclaimer 1 - Wicked isn't mine but belongs to people much more talented than I am.**

 **Disclaimer 2 - Aerin, Liir and Seraphina are not mine: they belong to phoenixgirl23/vinkinwildflowerqueen. :)**

 **#####**

Life has a funny way of twisting and turning - nobody can ever really know the future.

It was something Elphaba pondered as she sat out on her front porch watching the evening sunset.

One day, she's the daughter of the Governor of Munchkinland, destined to care for her sister for the rest of her life.

Next thing she knew, she was the most wanted fugitive in all of Oz.

Now, she is the wife of Fiyero Tiggular and the mother of three wonderful children.

For somebody who was green and was either tormented or outright ignored by small minded people, her new life was more than a dream come true.

When she and Fiyero fled Oz, it didn't seem that way in the beginning. She was nervous enough when Fiyero asked her to marry him; she was downright scared after finding out she was pregnant soon afterwards. No matter how many times Fiyero had reassured her he would love their children no matter their skin color, Elphaba worried her children would be born green. She did not want her children to be treated the way she was. Yet, once Aerin Galinda Tiggular was born with rosy pink skin, her fears started to subside. With the addition of Liir Dillamond and Seraphina Fae to the family, Elphaba finally settled into her roles of wife and mother.

During the summer break from school when Aerin was thirteen, Elphaba and Aerin grew really close. While Aerin always had a special relationship with her mother, it seemed this summer they were inseparable - especially after having "the talk" about her changing body, boys, babies, and "that time of the month". For Elphaba, it was a time for her to be there for her daughter as she entered her teenage years - something she wished she had with her own mother if she had survived.

When it came to fashion, however, Elphaba was more than happy to let "Aunt Galinda" take that one. Aerin didn't mind: she loved talking to Galinda about makeup and dresses.

As much as Glinda tried to get Aerin to wear pink, though, the young girl remained stubborn and refused.

"She gets it from you," Glinda complained during her visit that summer eliciting a cackle from Elphaba.

However, when Aerin turned fifteen, Elphaba noticed a change.

Aerin became more withdrawn and private, quite unlike the outgoing person she normally was. In addition, she started wearing more long-sleeved clothes even though it was quite warm outside and school was about to start. What worried Elphaba more than anything was that Aerin's mood seemed more sad and stressed than normal.

When she talked to Fiyero about this, he understood. "It's a normal part of growing up, Fae," he told her.

"Oh, and you know this…how?" she asked him slightly bemused.

"Trying to get a date with the girls at school," he replied receiving an eye-roll from Elphaba. "I remember watching the girls at school going through their mood swings and it used to drive me crazy. One clock tick, it's, 'get lost!'; the next clock tick, they want to be your best friend. I had no idea what was happening to them at the time. If I had to guess, now that Aerin is at that age, she's probably going through the same thing."

Elphaba sighed. "You're right, Yero. Being a teenager wasn't great for me either. Mind you, I didn't have anybody to talk to about this..."

"Well, it's a good thing Aerin has you," he interrupted as he took her in his arms.

"Sometimes I feel like I don't know what to do," Elphaba continued. "She just seems sadder lately and she won't talk about it."

"Give her time," he replied. "When she's ready, she'll talk to you."

In the end, he was right.

That day came one October evening. As Elphaba was a teacher for the younger grades, her classes usually finished earlier than her children's classes. On this particular evening, she came home early to prepare dinner as was the routine. While she was preparing dinner, Elphaba saw her oldest daughter walk into the house.

"Hey, sweetie. How was…"

She never finished her question as Aerin ran right into her room and slammed the door.

Elphaba's was worried by the scene that passed before her and she ran towards her daughter's bedroom door. She wanted to knock, but before she did, she could hear her daughter sniffling and it broke Elphaba's heart. Lightly knocking on the door, she called out:

"Aerin…honey…what's wrong?"

Her question was met with silence.

She tried again. "Aerin, please let me in - please talk to me. Whatever it is, we can deal with it together. OK?"

The silence was agonizing and time seemed to stand still, but after a few moments, the green woman could hear movement from inside the room. Slowly, the door opened and Aerin came into view. Elphaba saw that her daughter was wearing a light cardigan over her summer dress but one of the arms was torn at the shoulder. The young girl's eyes were bloodshot and swollen from crying.

Elphaba's heart sank at the sight before her. "Oh, sweetheart…"

At her mother's words, Aerin launched herself at her mother, tightly clinging to her as her sobs renewed. Elphaba held on to her daughter just as tight, trying to sooth her. It was after a few moments when Aerin's breathing steadied that Elphaba asked her, "What happened? Did something happen at school today?"

The young girl nodded. "Yeah."

Elphaba guided the young girl to her bed and the two women sat down. "What happened, sweetheart? What happened to your sweater?"

The young Tiggular woman hung her head, not even looking at her mother. "One of the girls at school was going around telling everybody that I got a tattoo or some other marking on my arms. She said I was trying to hide it with my sweater. So, we got into a fight on the way home after school and she tried to rip my sweater off."

While Elphaba comforted her daughter, something in Aerin's explanation clicked in her mind. She _had_ been wearing sweaters in the warmer weather...

"And it was my favorite sweater, too!" Aerin lamented, pulling Elphaba from her thoughts.

Elphaba held her daughter as Aerin's tears renewed, soothing her as she cried. After a few moments, Aerin started to calm down. It was then that Elphaba decided to ask her for the truth.

"Aerin, I want you to be completely honest with me, ok?"

After feeling her daughter nod, Elphaba softly asked, " _Are_ you hiding something?"

She felt Aerin's body stiffen under the question which told Elphaba that the answer was 'yes'. However, she wanted to approach this gently and not scare her daughter. Placing a finger under Aerin's chin and lifting her face so they were looking at each other, Elphaba then added, "What is it, sweetheart? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Aerin nodded slowly in response. Leaning back against her mother for comfort, she replied, "I know, Mamma, but I'm scared."

"Scared of what?"

Elphaba watched as her daughter hesitated before pulling the torn sweater off of her. Shakily, she showed Elphaba her arm.

Elphaba was shocked at what she saw:

Aerin's arm had patches of green skin.

"Mamma, what's happening to me?" Aerin asked slightly panicked.

"I don't know, sweetheart," Elphaba replied carefully studying her daughter's arm. "When did this start happening?"

"A few weeks ago," Aerin replied. "It was small at first, but more patches started to grow..."

"...which is why you've been wearing sweaters - to hide them. Is that the reason?"

Aerin nodded in response.

"Are they anywhere else?" Elphaba asked her.

Aerin shook her head. "I don't think so. This is the only place I've seen of it."

In that moment, Elphaba's fears that she buried so long ago started to resurface just as her eldest daughter asked her:

"Mamma, am I turning green?"

#####

"What if she _is_ turning green, Yero?" Elphaba asked her husband nervously. Fiyero watched in the candlelight as Elphaba paced back and forth nervously along the front porch. "This is my worst nightmare coming true."

"Fae, I told you that I would love our children no matter what color their skin was, and I still do. If Aerin is turning green, it doesn't change anything..."

"It changes _everything_ , Yero!" she cried out. "It's not _you_ that's the problem: it's everybody else! You don't understand what it's like having green skin. People look at you like a freak or...or some kind of _monster_! They treat you horribly and call you all sorts of names..."

Realization dawned on Fiyero. "So, you _did_ care what people say about you?"

"Of course I did!"

Elphaba covered her face trying to fight the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks. "I tried not to show it - to pretend that it didn't matter. Oz, I would always tell you and Glinda 'I'm used to it' so you guys didn't make a big deal of it. But it still hurt, Fiyero. Growing up like that: that is something I _never_ wanted to happen to my children."

She stopped and turned to look at her husband. Tears streaming down her face. "And now, here we are."

Getting up, he took his worried wife in his arms. As she leaned into his embrace, he continued, "Fae, I don't know what's going to happen to Aerin. I don't know if this is something that will only be on her arm or will spread. What I _do_ know is that Aerin has something you didn't: she's got a family that loves her and a mother who knows what it's like to be green but still came out a strong, independent, loving woman.

"You're right - I don't know what it's like to have green skin, but _you_ do. You and Aerin have a great relationship and she's going to need your help. If anybody can help her to cope with this, it's you."

She nodded in understanding. She knew that Fiyero was right but she still voiced her concern: "I'm scared, Yero. I'm scared for her."

"I know, Fae," he softly replied as he held her there in the evening air.

If he was honest with himself, he was a little scared too.

 **#####**

 **Reviews are appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Happy Monday morning everybody. Woke up this morning and everything is covered in frost. Yep, winter seems to be coming. :P**

 **vinkunwildflowerqueen - I hope I exceeded your expectations.**

 **Ultimate Queen of Cliffies - Thanks for the encouragement. Yeah, you'll see how certain teenagers will be "cruel" in a few chapters.**

 **RavenCurls - You'll just have to keep reading to see. :)**

 **Doglover645 - ...and there will be more fluff and other stuff.**

 **And now, on to chapter 2...**

* * *

The next morning after breakfast, Fiyero kissed each of his daughters on the head and gave Liir their customary "guy-high-five". Before kissing his wife, he said, "Don't worry, Fae. I'll stop by the school and make sure they know they need substitute for you."

"Thank you, Yero," she replied giving him a quick kiss before he left.

"Substitute?" Aerin asked confused after her siblings left for school. "Are you not going to the school today?"

"No, I'm not, and neither are you."

Aerin raised an eyebrow in response. "Playing hooky, are we? Why, Mom, you do realize you're setting a bad example for such a young mind?" she joked.

"I blame your Father's corrupting influence for it," her mother replied with a wink.

Turning serious, Aerin asked her mother, "So, what are we doing today?"

"Well," Elphaba began. "We are going to see the doctor. I want to make sure that there's nothing more to your change in skin color. Then, I figured we could get something to eat in town. What do you say?"

While the prospect of missing school and having lunch in town appealed to the young Tiggular, it was the first part of her Mother's statement that started to worry her.

"Do you think there's something wrong with me?"

But Elphaba shook her head. "No, I don't think there's anything wrong with you, but I just want to make sure . OK?"

The two Tiggular women made their way into town to the Doctor's office. Dr. Niles was a Crane who escaped from Oz at the height of the Animal bans thanks to the "Wicked Witch". Even though he was a foreigner to Quox, he was well loved and respected by the citizens of Aleppo. After all three Tiggular children were born, Dr. Niles became their family doctor. When the Tiggulars first came to his practice, however, he recognized the green woman immediately but said nothing at the time. It was only a few years later that Dr. Niles confessed he knew who Elphaba was and that he was one of the Animals she freed. He also vowed to keep her secret safe and to look after Elphaba and her family.

Yet, if truth be told, Dr. Niles enjoyed watching the Tigguar children grow up.

However, when Dr. Niles looked Aerin's arm over, he was more curious than worried.

"This is really fascinating," he mumbled as he examined her.

Aerin, however, rolled her eyes in response. "So, do you think something wrong?"

Shaking his head, the doctor replied, "I don't think there is. But, let me conduct a thorough exam, ok?"

As the doctor conducted his examination of Aerin, he continuously commented about how big she was getting. Every time the doctor reminisced about how he "remembered her as a little girl", Aerin shot her mother flabbergasted look and Elphaba tried hard - but failed - to hide her snickers. After Dr. Niles finished, he turned to the two women and said, "Miss Aerin, I have conducted a thorough exam and I don't see any health issues at all. As a matter of fact, you're in excellent health."

"So, nothing wrong?" Elphaba asked somewhat relieved.

Dr. Niles nodded his head. "Nothing wrong," he simply replied.

"So, why is my skin turning green?" Aerin asked confused.

"Well, you are fifteen, yes?" he asked Aerin and she nodded. "Your body is going through a number of changes - it's quite possible that's why your skin is changing color. You are growing up into a young woman who, I have a feeling, is starting to resemble her Mother."

"Don't tell Dad that," Aerin joked. "I don't he can handle two of us."

Elphaba chuckled at Aerin's statement. "So true."

#####

The two Tiggular women made their way to "The Pickled Onion" for lunch. Despite its strange name, the restaurant was well know for its excellent food. As Aerin and Elphaba sat down, Aerin pulled her sweater off.

"Might as well get used to it," Aerin noted, but Elphaba noticed a bit of sadness in her voice.

"Are you worried?" she asked her daughter.

Aerin thought about Elphaba's question for a few moments before replying. "A little. I think I'm worried about what other people are going to say if I _am_ turning green. Part of me thinks it'll be cool to have green skin..."

Aerin stopped speaking as she noticed that her mother shook her head and chuckled - as if she remembered a distant memory. "What is it, Mamma?"

A smile crossed Elphaba's face. "I was just remembering something from when you were two years old."

"What is it?" her daughter asked picking up her water glass.

"I was just remembering the day you painted yourself green."

Aerin choked on the sip of water she just drank. "What?" she cried shocked.

"You had wandered off and somehow you found a can of green paint in the shed. I don't know how, but you opened it and poured it all over yourself. When we asked you why you did it, you said…and I'll never forget this…" she added with a soft smile. "…you said, 'I want to be green just like Mamma'."

Elphaba watched as her daughter laughed at the story. "Oh, Quox! Now, that's funny!"

"We had guests coming over for dinner that evening and you were so happy to show them all your new green skin. You proudly told everybody that you and I now matched."

"Oh, crap, now _that's_ embarrassing," Aerin replied hiding her face in her hands from embarrassment.

"To be honest, it was sweet," her mother replied causing Aerin to look up at her mother. "Growing up, people were ashamed of my skin color and it made _me_ feel ashamed - like there was something wrong with me. Your father and Aunt Glinda were the first people to see past the green. I didn't want to believe it, but for the first time in my life, I actually felt loved. And then, to have my two year old daughter say that she _wanted_ to be green made me so happy."

Aerin reached out and took her mother's hand as Elphaba wiped away a few happy tears that threatened to fall. "I'm glad," Aerin then said. "Because I think you're pretty awesome."

Elphaba couldn't help herself - she pulled her daughter in for a hug and Aerin wrapped her arms around her mother. After pulling back, Aerin noticed Elphaba's face had turned serious:

"When you, your brother and your sister were born with with your Father's skin color, I felt relieved as none of you would have to experience the things I did. I'm not going to lie to you: growing up with green skin wasn't easy for me as I didn't have anybody to help me when I was your age. If you skin color is changing, people are going to look at you differently and probably treat you badly. They may even call you all sorts of names."

Aerin nodded in understanding. "So, what do I do?"

"First, know who your friends really are and lean on them. They'll love you for you no matter what. And second, understand that I am always here for you no matter what. Your father, sister and brother will also be here for you. If anything happens, please let me know."

"Thanks, Momma."

As they settled down to look over the menu, Aerin then asked, "Momma, can I ask a favor?"

"Sure, sweetheart. What is it?"

"If I am turning green, let me tell Liir and Sera when I'm ready."

Elphaba nodded in understanding. "All right. I may tell your Father," which Aerin agreed to. "But, other than that, we'll keep this between you and me for now."

"Thanks, Momma," Aerin replied brightly. "You're the best."

#####

Elphaba kept true to their word and let Aerin determine when she would tell her siblings about her "greenification". As the season passed from Autumn to Winter, Aerin noticed more and more patches of green covering her arm. She was glad winter had arrived so she could hide it a little longer under her winter clothes.

"I know it's stupid to be worried," Aerin complained one evening to her parents privately. Gesturing to her Mother, she continued, "I mean, _your_ green and Liir and Sera love you."

"True," Fiyero started to answer. "But I don't think you're worried about them so much, are you?"

Sighing and plopping down beside them, Aerin answered her Father's question. "I'm worried about what everybody at school will say - especially my friends."

Elphaba took her daughter's hand. "I know what I'm about to say isn't much help but hear me out: if your friends are truly good friends, they will love you no matter what. Truly good friends are worth holding on to."

"Like Aunt Glinda and Uncle Lysander?" Aerin asked.

Elphaba smiled in response. "Yes, and your Father. They are all wonderful people - I wouldn't trade them in for anything..."

"Good to know," Fiyero joked receiving an elbow from Elphaba.

Elphaba continued. "If your friends are really friends, they will love you no matter what. True friends will love you - green skin and all."

Fiyero then added, "And they will build you up and make you a better person; just as you will do the same for them."

Aerin nodded in understanding. "I know, but I don't know if I'm ready to show them yet."

"Just wait until you're ready," Elphaba suggested.

After that, there wasn't any more talk about the issue.

...not until one Saturday morning early in the following spring.

As Fiyero and Elphaba prepared breakfast, Seraphina emerged from her room, sleepily rubbing her eyes. Mumbling a "good morning", Elphaba noticed that Liir was right behind her.

"Have you seen Aerin yet?" she asked Liir but he shook his head.

"Not yet. I think she's still getting up."

As Fiyero got the rest of the children situated for breakfast, Elphaba walked over and knocked on Aerin's bedroom door. "Are you up, sweetie? It's breakfast time."

The green woman heard her daughter's voice from behind the door: "I'll be out in a minute."

Aerin Tiggular looked at herself in the mirror only clad in her undergarments. She studied the patch of green skin that had stretched around the side of her neck. As she twisted in the mirror to look at herself, she realized that half or her back was green. This was, in addition, to the spots on her arm growing into one great big splash of green skin. Had the green grown so much over the past few months? She had been so focused on the patches on her arm that she never looked at her back.

She realized she could no longer hide it. Breathing deeply for strength, Aerin determined that today was the day for her reveal.

The rest of the family was sitting at the kitchen table when Aerin came out in a short sleeve white and yellow dress. As she took her seat at the table, she didn't look up at the rest of the family but kept her head down - she didn't really want to look them in the eye right now.

The rest of them were silent for a moment as each of them looked at the green skin on her neck and arms. While Elphaba already knew and Fiyero had some idea as to her "greenificaiton", this was the first time Aerin showed her skin to anybody.

The unsettling silence was broken were Seraphina gasped and exclaimed: "Aerin, you're turning green like Mamma!"

Aerin nodded, but before she could say anything, she found herself being hugged excitedly by her younger sister.

"That is so COOL! I have a green sister!"

Seraphina's exclamation made Aerin laugh out loud as she hugged her sister back. After releasing her sister, Aerin then looked over to her brother Liir wondering what he was thinking. It unnerved her, though, as he just stared at her seeming lost in his own thoughts.

...until he finally spoke.

"Jade."

"Excuse me?" Aerin asked him confused.

"You're turning jade," he replied with a small smile. "Mamma is pretty like emeralds; you're pretty like jade."

Aerin reached out and hugged her brother in relief after his admission.

"Thank you."

Fiyero shot Elphaba a knowing smile that said 'everything is going to be ok' and she smiled in response. As the family settled in for breakfast and conversation started flowing, Elphaba realized that Fiyero _was_ right.

Everything was going to be ok.


	3. Chapter 3

**THANK YOU to those on Twitter who answered my request for "advantages for being green". Now you'll see why I asked in this chapter.**

 **TheDoctorPieMaker - Thank you for your review. I'm glad you like it.**

 **Ultimate Queen of Cliffies - I've got you worried now, have I? I think those cliffie lessons are paying off!**

 **Doglover645 - Thank you for your kind review.**

 **Fae'sFlower - Thanks - I'm glad you like the story. To answer your question: Aerin is turning green because she's Elphaba's daughter. And...that feeling you have...well...um...never mind.**

 **And virtual hot chocolate to vinkunwildflowerqueen for picking up the "Frasier" reference in the previous chapter. (Dr. Niles (the) Crane) :)**

* * *

Elphaba knew that the next few days were going to be key for Aerin. She revealed her changing skin to her family on the weekend and it went really well - of course, having a green mother did help in that regard. The morning of Aerin's reveal to her family, her siblings were trying to convince her of the 'advantages' of her changing skin:

"Well," Liir said, "The good news is, if you get lost, everybody will know who's kid you are."

"Liir!" Elphaba cried admonishing her son.

However, Aerin laughed at her brother's joke. "True, but it also means I can't get into trouble because _everybody_ will know who I am."

Suddenly, Seraphina gasped. "I know! You could sneak up to people in the forest...like a ninja!"

"Or be awesome at 'hide-and-seek' in the forest," Liir added.

Elphaba rolled her eyes toward Fiyero. "All right, that's enough," Fiyero commanded wanting to make sure the teasing didn't get out of hand.

Aerin shook her head. "Dad, it's ok. I know they're joking and don't mean any harm."

Liir nodded. "We all know that Aer's going to look like Mom soon." Turning to his older sister, he added, "But don't worry - Sera and I have your back in case anybody makes trouble."

"Thanks, Liir," Aerin replied with a heartfelt smile.

Seraphina then decided to add, "Just think, you and Mom could go out together and really mess with people's heads."

"Yeah," Liir added. "Mom could walk up to people and say, 'I call her...Mini Me'!"

Now everybody was laughing the breakfast table and they laughed harder as Fiyero snorted coffee out his nose.

While everybody in the family rallied around Aerin during her "greenification", Elphaba's biggest worry was going to be what Aerin's friends at school would say. Even Aerin was worried about going to school and revealing her green skin. Yet, with the warmer weather coming and the green encompassing more of her body, she realized that she could no longer go wearing clothes that covered her up.

Thus, the following Monday morning, Aerin wore a short-sleeved dress with a v-neck, choosing it specifically to demonstrate her new skin color. When the children were ready to go to school , Elphaba took Aerin's hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze. "Good luck."

"Thanks, Momma," her daughter replied with a worried smile.

"If anything happens, come and find me, ok?" Elphaba commanded and Aerin nodded.

"I will."

As the day passed, Elphaba's thoughts were on her daughter's well being and hoping that everything was going well. Yet, there was no sign of Aerin all day so she assumed everything was going ok.

Still, she was anxious to hear how Aerin's big reveal went. Thus, when Aerin walked through the door after school, Elphaba was already there waiting for her. Aerin could see the worried look on her mother's face and already knew what she was going to ask. "It was so-so today," she flatly told her mother.

Elphaba tried to remain as calm as possible. "What happened?"

"Well, some of my friends like Linny, Maddie and Indigo thought it was cool but some of the other kids were jerks. Linny's new boyfriend was a total jackass about it."

"Linny?" Elphaba asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, my best friend Laralyn. She's tall, blonde with blue eyes...actually, come to think of it, she kinda looks like Aunt Glinda."

"Who looks like Aunt Glinda?" Fiyero asked as he walked into the door surprising both Aerin and Elphaba.

"Wow...you're home early," Elphaba noted while receiving a hug and kiss from her husband.

"Well, I wanted to get home as soon as I could to hear how Aerin's day went."

He hugged her daughter and repeated his question. "So, who's looks like Aunt Glinda?"

They sat down at the kitchen table as Aerin answered her father. "My friend Laralyn - we all her Linny for short. I was just telling Momma that she's blonde just like Aunt Glinda."

Fiyero gave his wife a disbelieving look. "Both of you have blonde friends named, 'Lin'? Great...it's confirmed: we now have two Elphaba's in this household."

Elphaba replied by sticking out her tongue.

"Anyway," Aerin continued. "Linny's new boyfriend Tyro kept cracking jokes about it - comparing me to different vegetables and not in a good way. I told him to get lost and he just replied, 'Oh, dear - Miss Asparagus appears to be steamed'. Later, he and his Quoxball buddies kept following me around asking if I was feeling OK since it looked like I was going moldy."

"Ugh," Elphaba grunted covering her face with her hands. "I hated those so-called 'jokes'. What did your friend Laralyn say?"

Aerin shrugged. "She apologized for his rude behavior and that she'd talk to him. Indigo told me to ignore him and Maddie said that, if brains were gunpowder, Tyro wouldn't have enough to blow his nose."

Fiyero couldn't hold back the snort of laughter at Aerin's comment. Even Elphaba couldn't suppress her grin.

However, Aerin's face turned serious. "How did you deal with it, Momma?"

Sighing, Elphaba replied, "I tried to pretend it didn't bother me so they wouldn't have the satisfaction of knowing it."

"But it did bother you, didn't it?" Aerin asked and Elphaba nodded in response.

"It did. Sometimes it hurt so much I would just cry when I was alone in my room. When I was your age, I really didn't have anybody to talk to about the teasing so I had to be strong by myself. Believe me, it wasn't easy."

"Didn't you ever tell them off or anything like that?" she asked.

"If I remember what your Aunt Glinda told me," Fiyero interrupted before Elphaba could reply, "the first thing your mother said to her was 'no, I'm not seasick, yes, I've always been green, no, I didn't chew grass as a child'."

However, Elphaba retorted, "Excuse me, I recall your driver almost ran me over and _you_ just woke up and said 'maybe he saw green and thought it meant go'."

"WHAT?" Aerin cried quite bemused by her mother's revelation. However, Fiyero groaned as he hid his head beneath his hands.

"You're never going to let me live that one down, are you?"

A wicked smirk formed on Elphaba's face. "Nope."

Fiyero then held up his hands. "In my defense, that was before I got to know you."

Aerin then interrupted their playful banter, returning to the topic in hand. "So, it's not going to get any easier, is it?"

"No," Elphaba replied sadly. "The teasing isn't going to stop - if anything, it'll get worse. The only thing I can tell you is to hang around your friends - the ones who love you for you. Don't give those who tease you the time of day."

"Is that what you did?"

"For the most part," Elphaba replied. "However, if the need arose, I did whatever it took to defend myself."

"Like the time you broke Pfannee's nose?" Fiyero interjected.

"That's because she kept pushing me!" Elphaba cried in defense.

"Figuratively or literally 'pushing you'?" Aerin asked.

"Literally," Fiyero replied before Elphaba could. "Trust me, with everything Pfannee did to your Mother, she had it coming. She did not like your mother at all and it was only because she 'looked different'. She would play mean jokes on her - throwing chewed up gum in her hair, putting bugs in her school bag...juvenile stuff like that. One day, she and her friends cornered her in the hallway and started pushing her around. That's when Fae let her have it."

"I reserved the right to defend myself," Elphaba replied with a composed look on her face.

Fiyero kissed his wife on the cheek. "And you did splendidly."

"What about her friends?" Aerin then asked.

"Ran off like scared rats," Fiyero replied. "You should have heard Pfannee scream bloody murder..."

Before he could continue, Liir and Seraphina walked through the door. "What's up, y'all?" Liir cried. "Whats for dinner?"

"Whatever your Father is cooking," Elphaba replied.

Fiyero rolled his eyes. "I can take a hint," he sighed.

As he got up to start preparing dinner, Elphaba asked her daughter, "Are you going to be OK with Lin's new boyfriend and his 'friends'? Are they going to be too much trouble?"

Aerin shook her head in response. "No, I don't think so. I can look after them."

However, Elphaba was still concerned for Aerin's well being. "You know you can come find me if it gets to be too much, right?"

Aerin came across and kissed her Mom's cheek. "I know, Momma."

As Aerin left to help her Father, Elphaba sighed. It looked like Aerin was going to have to deal with the same trouble she did.

Little did they know how much worse it would get.

#####

 **MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAcoughcoughcough...**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N - So, this is the chapter is the longest of the series and it's the one I warned you about.**

 **When I started writing this chapter, it was actually a short chapter like the previous chapters. Somehow, with all of the additional ideas and content, it ended up over 4,000 words! I debated on splitting this chapter up as two chapters but decided to keep it as one as to play out the entire chapter's story line.**

 **Also, there is one bad word in this chapter. I hope you'll understand why. :)**

 **I want to give a HUGE thank you to MyLittleElphie for allowing me to use one of her cosplay photos for the story's cover art. THANK YOU!**

 **TheDoctorPieMaker - Thanks for holding back the "emote-ings".**

 **Ultimate Queen of Cliffies - NOTHING BUT CACKLES FOR THE...oh, wait...**

 **Fae's Flower - I figure Elphaba's good influence helped Fiyero become a little more aware of "hints". Oh, and as far as Aerin being "her mother's daughter after all", you'll see... :)**

 **Doglover645 - C'mon, breathe deep! Don't pass out on me! Good, long breaths...good air in...bad air out...good? Good. :)**

 **GirlyTurtle and** **ErinMilne** **\- Thank you for your reviews - I'm glad you like it.**

 **And now, it begins...**

* * *

Elphaba hated it when she was right.

It did get worse.

During the next few weeks of school, Aerin would come home and talk to her mother about some of the insults she received that day. It broke Elphaba's heart to hear how her daughter suffered the same fate as she did at her age.

The worst part was it all seemed to come from the same person: Tyro.

"For Quox sake, can he be anymore of an ass?" Aerin complained to her mother one evening sitting in the living room. "All he could do was walk around and call me a 'walking cabbage' or comment on my 'froggy ferny green' complexion."

Elphaba held her daughter's hand for comfort. She shook her head. "I remember being called all of those exact same names, too."

"You'd think people would be original, wouldn't you?" Aerin joked.

"Unfortunately, nothing original comes to the small minded," Elphaba replied. She then asked her daughter, "How is Laralyn handling it?"

"Not well," Aerin replied sadly. "It's hard...it's really put a strain on our friendship, Mamma. She's trying to get him to behave and she feels awful about the name calling. I think she's trying to make it better..."

"...but it's getting worse, isn't it?" Elphaba finished and Aerin nodded. "Are your teachers aware?"

"Yes, and even the Principal. They've offered to have me stay inside at lunch break, but I didn't want to be sheltered. I want to show them they can't beat me."

Elphaba understood her daughter's stance. "I can understand the feeling...of refusing to be brought down...but I want you to be careful, ok?"

"Why?" Aerin asked worried.

Elphaba solemnly replied, "I'm not sure, but I can't shake this feeling that something bad is going to happen."

Two weeks later, it did.

It was a Thursday afternoon doing the lunch break and Elphaba was outside monitoring the younger students as they played. However, she noticed two young women hurrying towards her with very concerned looks on their faces. Elphaba recognized the first woman as the school secretary, Mrs. Jules.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Tiggular," she began. "Could you please come with me right now? It's about your children." Motioning to the other woman, Mrs. Jules continued: "Miss Eades will take over for you if you'd like."

Elphaba swore her heart stopped upon hearing her statement. Nodding in agreement, she followed the secretary as the made their way into the school to the Principal's office.

As she entered the school office, what shocked her was the sight before her.

Sitting in the chairs outside of the Principal's office were Aerin, Liir and Seraphina. Aerin looked like she had been in a bad fight - dress ripped, arms and face scratched...did she have a fat lip? Beside her were Liir and Seraphina. Each of them looked bedraggled and it looked like Liir was sporting a black eye.

"What happened?"

Liir pointed to the office. "Ask the Principal. He's waiting to see you."

Before Elphaba could ask any more questions, the Mrs. Jules motioned for Elphaba to continue. "Mr. Ayala asked me to bring you into his office as soon as you arrived."

Nodding, Elphaba followed the secretary to the Principal's office. The secretary lightly knocked on the door before opening it. "Mrs. Tiggular to see you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Jules. Please let me know when Mr. Tiggular arrives."

Nodding, the secretary left as Elphaba sat across from the Principal. "You've sent for my husband as well?" she asked surprised at the secretary's admission.

"Indeed we have," Mr. Ayala confirmed.

Elphaba's concern grew at this revelation. "Do you mind telling me what this is all about?"

However, Mr. Ayala remained stoic. "With all due respect, Mrs. Tiggular, I would like to discuss the matter with both you and Mr. Tiggular together."

They sat in an unnerving silence until another knock sounded on the door and a surprised and concerned Fiyero sat down beside his wife. "What's going on? What happened to the kids?" he asked her.

However, Elphaba turned her attention back to the Principal. "I think we're about to find out."

"Thank you for coming, Mr. and Mrs. Tiggular," Mr. Ayala began. Taking off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose, Mr. Ayala continued. "I have the unfortunate duty to inform you that your children were involved in a very bad school brawl today."

Both Elphaba and Fiyero sat up in their chairs. "What?" they both asked at the same time.

"Earlier today, during the lunch break, your daughter Aerin was involved in a fight with one of our 'problem' students. According to Miss Aerin, it appears this student tried to rip her dress off of her..."

Elphaba's eyes went wide in shock and Fiyero felt his heart stop. "He tried to do WHAT?" Elphaba cried.

But Ayala continued uninterrupted. "...and she punched him breaking his nose which started the fight."

"He's lucky it's only his nose that's broken!" Fiyero exclaimed, blood boiling at the news.

An agitated Elphaba then asked, "How did Liir and Seraphina get involved?"

"According to their accounts, they tried to help their sister get away and ended up being involved the fight."

Elphaba then asked him, "And the other students - what did they say?"

"They claim that Aerin started it..."

"Oh, because dresses rip themselves, do they?" an angry Fiyero bellowed, but Mr. Ayala waived hand for calm.

"Mr. Tiggular, like I said, the other student involved is a known 'problem' student and he has a history of starting trouble. I doubt he's telling the truth in this instance."

"Where is he now?" Elphaba demanded.

"He's currently at the hospital dealing with his injuries," Ayala answered. "He will be dealt with appropriately. However, about the matter of _your_ children..."

"Wait," Elphaba interrupted. "Aerin was defending herself, correct?"

Nodding, the Principal replied, "Yes she was."

"And rightly so," Fiyero added.

However, the Principal sighed before he continued. "That may be true, Mr. and Mrs. Tiggular, but I assume you are well aware of the school's policy on fighting on school grounds. I'm sorry to say that I must issue suspensions to your children for the rest of today and for tomorrow as well."

"You can't be serious!" Elphaba cried standing up in anger. "You just said my kids didn't start the fight..."

"We cannot condone fighting on school grounds!" Ayala replied, standing as well. "Mrs. Tiggular, the other students involved will be dealt with appropriately; but, I cannot be impartial about the punishments. Your children are no exception."

"This is absolutely unbelievable," Fiyero replied shaking his head as he stood up beside his wife.

"I understand your anger, Mr. Tiggular," Ayala replied trying to placate the two angry parents. "But I stand by my decision."

"Well then," a seething Elphaba retorted pulling herself upright. "If there's nothing I can do to change your mind, I would like you to find a substitute teacher for the rest of the day and for tomorrow as well, as I will be at home with my _children_."

And before the Principal could say anything else, Elphaba stormed out of the office.

Fiyero turned to follow his wife but stopped and turned towards the Principal. "Just for the record: this policy of yours is absolute bullshit."

And with that, he followed his wife out of the office.

#####

 _Elphaba watched as Fiyero instructed his daughter: "No, open palm, Aerin."_

 _Nine year old Aerin watched as Fiyero demonstrated the strike against her 'opponent' - a straw scarecrow hanging from a pole. "Use an open palm if you have to hit him."_

 _"Why, Daddy?" she asked him._

 _"Yeah," an eight year old Liir added. "Why not just hit him with an awesome punch?" he asked. He then punched out in the air hoping to demonstrate to his father his "amazing abilities"._

 _Fiyero shook his head. "If you punch, you'll probably end up hurting your hand and then you can't defend. Use the bottom of your palm and you'll get the same effect without hurting yourself."_

 _Nodding, Aerin then lashed out that the scarecrow._

 _"Good," Fiyero replied. "Follow it up with another strike and then run. Remember, you're trying to do what you can so you can get away."_

 _It had been a few weeks since Fiyero told Elphaba he wanted to teach his children some of the things he learned during his time with the Gale Force_ _._ _"So, you want to teach our children how to fight?" she asked concerned, but Fiyero shook his head._

 _"I want them to learn to defend themselves. I know it sounds crazy, Fae, but hear me out: we're fugitives from Oz and we never know what's going to happen. Things have been great here in Aleppo and I don't anticipate well be caught. I want to be ready, just in case._

 _"Besides," he continued, "I_ _f Aerin meets a guy like I was when I was a teenager, I'll want her to be able to defend herself."_

 _"You mean knock his teeth in."_

 _"Precisely."_

 _To be honest, Elphaba couldn't argue with that._

 _After the day's lessons, Fiyero sat both of his children down on the front porch._

 _"I want you two to understand something: what I am teaching you is for protection only; not for beating up other people."_

 _"What's the difference?" Aerin asked him._

 _"People who attack others for no reason are bad people, wouldn't you agree?" Both children nodded and Fiyero then asked, "Are we bad people?"_

 _They both shook their heads. "Good," he replied. "However, there are some people in the world who are not nice. If you ever get into trouble, you should know how to get out of it."_

 _Nodding in understanding, Aerin then asked, "So, when should we fight, Daddy?"_

 _"Only as a last resort," he commanded. "Fighting is not a lot of fun, agreed?" When both children nodded, he continued. "That's why we don't fight because it's nasty and it hurts. But some people don't know that..."_

 _"So," Liir then began. "Only fight back when we can't get out of a fight?"_

 _"Right," Fiyero replied._

 _Suddenly, a new voice asked, "So, when are you going to teach me, Daddy?"_

 _Fiyero turned to see a beaming Seraphina standing there. He smiled as he took her in a hug and replied, "Soon, sweetheart. Soon."_

#####

It was a quiet and unnerving walk back to the Tiggular household. Aerin was shaking and seemed to be holding herself with her arms as if to keep warm; Liir glowered as he walked and Seraphina walked by her Father's side for comfort. Elphaba moved beside her eldest daughter, putting her arm around her for comfort, and Aerin leaned in for support. Once they got into the house, Elphaba and Fiyero made all three children sit down in the living room.

She only gave one command: "All right...talk."

"We didn't it start it, Mamma," Liir began to protest but Elphaba held up her hand.

"We know you didn't," she said gesturing to herself and Fiyero. "We just want to know what happened." Turning to Aerin, she then calmly asked, "Do you want to start, sweetheart? What happened today?"

Aerin shakily nodded and slowly began. "During the lunch break, Tyro and his friends kept following me - teasing me about my skin. I told him to get lost but then he kept standing in front of me, blocking me from leaving. I tried to get away but some of his friends started to surround us..."

She stopped as the tears started to fall. Her voice cracked as she sadly exclaimed, "He then said to his friends he wanted to see if I was green all over, so he tried to..."

Aerin couldn't continue saying the sentence before she broke down crying.

Fiyero swore under his breath. He then quietly asked her, "Did he rip your dress?"

She nodded trying to gain control of herself. After a few moments, she continued the story. "He grabbed the collar of my dress and tried to rip it off, so I hit him."

Liir let out a snort. "Broke his nose was more like it," he added with a slight smirk.

While Fiyero tried (and failed) to hide his amusement at the mental image of Aerin throwing a punch and breaking this punk's nose, Elphaba focused on the issue at hand. "What happened next?"

Liir continued for his sister. "Well, I saw Aerin surrounded so I ran over to help. I saw her punch Tyro and his nose started pouring blood. He didn't like being show up by a girl so he came back at Aerin swinging and let's just say Aer got the better of him. Some of his friends tried to grab her arms so Tyro could get a punch in. That's when I stepped in to try and get Aerin out - and then I got this," he said pointing to his black eye. "One of his friends wanted to fight so I gave him a black eye of his own."

Turning to Seraphina, Fiyero then asked, "How did you get involved in this?"

"Somebody ran up to me and said that Aerin and Liir were in a fight. So I went running over and I saw Aerin and Liir fighting. A couple of stupid girls who think Tyro is 'the Unnamed God's gift to women' jumped on Liir's back to tackle him. The thing is, Liir wouldn't hit a girl."

Sera tried to hide her bemusement as she added, "...so I did."

"That's about the time the teachers ran over, broke up the fight and brought us to the office," Liir finished.

At the end of the story, both Elphaba and Fiyero looked at each other. Looking at Fiyero's eyes, she could see he was thinking the same thing as she was. She turned to her children and then said, "Your Father and I both agree that, while this was an unfortunate incident, we are glad you all stood up for each other. We are not angry at any of you and do not agree with your punishment. However, since there is nothing we can do, we will all be home today."

Then she commanded, "Go get washed up and changed. After lunch, you _will_ continue your school work today. We will discuss about tomorrow later."

And with that, the three children left in silence.

#####

"Where's Aerin?"

Fiyero looked up from his newspaper to see the worried expression Elphaba wore on her face. It caused Fiyero to become concerned as well. "Is she not in her room?"

Elphaba shook her head. "Seraphina and Liir are in their rooms reading but I can't find Aerin."

"Maybe she's outside..." Fiyero started to say but as he turned to the door, he saw Aerin standing on the porch - her arms wrapped around her as if she was cold even though the temperatures were quite warm.

Elphaba began to head for the door, realizing that Aerin was probably hurting, but Fiyero stopped her. "Let me go," he softly said to his wife. "Let me talk to her about this one."

Elphaba hesitated but nodded in agreement and Fiyero calmly walked outside.

"Nice day to go for a walk. Would you care to join me?"

Aerin turned to see her father's lopsided grin and it put the young woman at ease. There was a part of her that just wanted to be alone right now but she knew her father wouldn't let her. Nodding, she followed her father as they walked down the road.

"So, what's on your mind?" he asked her.

"Nothin'," came her flat reply.

"Your mother says the same thing when she's bothered with something. I don't buy it from her so I'm not buying it from you. What's up?"

Aerin let out a frustrated sigh before continuing. "I keep going over what happened in my head, trying to think of a way I could have done things differently."

"And what have you come up with?"

Shaking her head, Aerin replied, "Nothing. I don't know what else I could have done. I tried to get away; I tried to leave but he just wouldn't stop."

She started shaking again and Fiyero could see her anger building. "Can I let you in on a little secret?" he calmly asked.

Crossing her arms, Aerin faced her father expecting a lecture about 'fighting' and 'using self defense as a last resort'.

Instead, a warm smile crossed Fiyero's face. "I'm proud of you."

His words had the desired effect: Aerin's arms dropped and her mouth fell open as she stood there stunned. "What?"

"I said I'm proud of you," Fiyero repeated. "Well, more precisely: both your Mother and I are proud of you."

Aerin tried to speak but seemed a loss for words. Fiyero chuckled and clarified his statement: "You were put in a situation where you needed to defend yourself. You tried to de-escalate the situation and when it didn't work, you did what you needed to do."

"Even though I broke his nose?" a flabbergasted Aerin asked. She then hesitantly added, "...and maybe knocked out a tooth..."

"...which he rightly deserved, by the way," Fiyero immediately interjected. "Anybody who is going to forcibly disrobe my daughter is lucky they weren't in a fight with _me_."

"So, you're not angry at me?"

Taking his daughter in a hug, Fiyero replied, "No, sweetheart. We aren't angry at you _or_ your siblings."

Aerin let out a gasp of relief. As he soothed his daughter, he could hear her sniffle - a sign that a few tears had fallen. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I'm just relieved."

They remained that way for a few moments before Aerin spoke again. "It was scary, Dad."

"I know, sweetheart," Fiyero replied soothingly. "I know."

Pulling away, Aerin wiped the tears with her sleeve. "You know what the worst part is? Laralyn just stood there watching it happen."

"She probably was in shock at what happened. Besides, if she got involved, she'd probably end up getting hurt. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

"No," Aerin replied. "But, I think she needs a better boyfriend."

The both chuckled at Aerin's response. "You OK, kiddo?"

Aerin nodded and hugged her father again. "Yeah, I am now. Thanks, Dad."

#####

As Aerin and Fiyero approached the house, they noticed a blonde girl talking to Elphaba. Aerin recognized her immediately.

"Linny?"

The blonde woman turned to see Aerin standing there. She looked like she had been crying herself. Upon seeing Aerin, the blonde ran up and wrapped her arms around her. "Aerin...I am so sorry..." she began.

Aerin hugged her best friend back. The two young women stood there hugging and crying; the blonde constantly apologizing. Finally, Aerin stepped back and smiled at her friend. "It's OK, Linny. I'm OK."

"I never thought he would..." the blonde began but Aerin shook her head.

"Not your fault," she simply said. And the two friends hugged again.

After some time by themselves, both Aerin and Laralyn made their way to the front porch of the Tiggular home. They were later joined by another young woman with brunette hair and a young man with curly dark hair. Aerin introduced her friends Laralyn, Maddie and Indigo to her parents and they all sat on the front porch, joined by Liir, Seraphina, Fiyero and Elphaba (who had just brought out lemonade for everybody).

"Well," Indigo began. "You should know that the word around school is: 'do NOT mess with the Tiggulars'."

Everybody laughed at Indigo's statement and Liir punched his fist in the air in triumph. "Yes!"

After the laughter died down, Indigo then added, "And rumor is that the local police chief wants to have a chat with him as well - I think he's being charged with assault. Sounds like he's in a _lot_ of trouble."

Laralyn then softly spoke: "I went to the hospital to see him after school and asked him why he did it. Do you know what he said?"

Aerin shook her head before Larayn continued. "He told me that I needed a better class of friends and didn't understand why I hung around with a green freak. So, I told him not to talk about my friends like that and, if that's the way he feels, perhaps we shouldn't be dating."

"You broke up with him?" Aerin asked surprised and Laralyn nodded sadly.

"I realized my friendship to you was more important than anything and I told him that. Well, he then said some things that were really awful."

Suddenly, Maddie commanded Laralyn, "Tell Aerin what happened next."

The slight smirk on Maddie's face told Aerin this was going to be good.

Blushing, Laralyn confessed, trying to hide her blushing cheeks: "Oh...I...um...after he said those awful things...I slapped him."

"Right across his newly set nose," Indigo added much to the guffaws of those listening.

"Aerin," Laralyn then began, the sadness evident in her voice. "I am so sorry. I hope we can be friends again..."

Aerin jolted at the blonde's request. Hugging her tightly, she exclaimed, "We were always friends, Linny. We never stopped being friends."

"Thanks, Aerin," Laralyn said. "You're like my best friend ever."

As Aerin and her friends continued their conversation, Elphaba excused herself from the group and came into the house. While she was glad that Aerin's friends rallied around her, she felt a sudden pang of sadness.

"Fae?"

Turning around, she saw Fiyero coming towards her. "Are you ok?"

"Fine," she lied. His raised eyebrow showed he knew she was lying.

"Aerin tried that one earlier - it didn't work for her either. What is it, Fae?"

Sighing, Elphaba replied, "I'm glad Aerin's friends are here. I really am. It's just the memory of those times just came back to me and..."

"...you didn't have anybody to talk to then," Fiyero finished.

Elphaba nodded as the tears started to fall. "It's stupid, I know but..."

She was interrupted by Fiyero putting her arms around her. "It's not stupid, Fae. It hurts; I get it. I may not understand but I get it."

Relaxing in his embrace, she then said, "I wish you were there when I was Aerin's age. At least I can talk to you."

Snorting a laugh, Fiyero retorted, "You wouldn't have wanted to talk to me back then - that was my 'tight, white pants' phase."

Elphaba rolled her eyes at his confession. "Oh, Oz, help us."

She felt a wave of calm wash over her in his arms. She pulled him closer for comfort.

"So, what do we do now?" he asked her.

"I think we should have a chat with the police chief - I'm sure he'll want to come by and ask questions. I also want the children to talk to somebody - a councilor maybe - just to make sure the children are ok."

"Anything they need, we'll get it, Fae. Everything will be ok."

Elphaba smiled. "Yero, our hero."

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Fae."

"And I love you too, Yero."

* * *

 **A/N - I hope the "kids learning to fight" story line isn't OOC but, I figured with Fiyero being with the Gale Force, he should have learned something from them. I used the** **YouTube channel run by Nick Drossos for my background on Fiyero's technique - Nick's channel describes itself as a channel demonstrating "reality based self-defense" techniques. Here's his channel link:**

 **/user/creativecombats**

 **Just add the appropriate YouTube link before the first slash. (FF dot net is making it hard to put any part of a URL here.)**

 **Please review and let me know what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5

**So...not a lot of sympathy for Tyro right now. :) The good news is that chapter 4 was the only "heavy" chapter. It'll get better as we go through the last two chapters.**

 **Ultimate Queen of Cliffies - Thanks...I was honestly worried that having Fiyero teach his kids to defend themselves was a little OOC.**

 **GirlyTurtle - I had a Principal like that unfortunately.**

 **vinkunwildflowerqueen - Good friends are definitely worth holding on to.**

 **BillyJay936 - Me too.**

 **Doglover645 - Thank you. I actually laughed out loud when I read your review. :)**

 **Now on to the next chapter...starting with a flashback...**

* * *

 _"Oz sounds like a really neat place, Aunty Glinda," an eleven year old Aerin exclaimed._

 _Glinda nodded as she sat with Aerin on the front porch of their house. Aerin had started asking questions about where "Aunty Glinda" lived and Glinda was more than willing to tell Aerin about it._

 _Glinda nodded in response to Aerin's statement. "I think it's a magical place."_

 _"Where do you live?"_

 _"I live in The Emerald Palace in the Center of the Emerald City..."_

 _"It's called 'The Emerald Palace'? Does it mean it's green?" Aerin asked interrupting._

 _"Why yes, it is."_

 _"Green like Momma?"  
_

 _Aerin's question brought Glinda up short. It had been a long time since she'd thought of her and Elphaba in the Emerald City. Painful memories of the past started to flood her mind: Meeting the Wizard for the first time; Elphaba declaration of defiance in the attic of the Palace; fighting against the Gale Force to free imprisoned Animals; Nessa's death;_ _losing Fiyero..._

 _...Elphaba's 'melting'..._

 _"Well, is it?" Aerin asked shaking Glinda from her thoughts._

 _She smiled trying to hide the sadness that started welling up inside of her. "Yes, sweetie - green like Momma."_

 _Excitedly, Aerin asked, "Do you think we will ever see it? I bet it's pretty."_

 _Taking the young girl into a hug, Glinda just softly replied, "I don't know, sweetie. I just don't know."_

 _Later, while Glinda helped Elphaba prepare dinner, she cornered the green woman. "You haven't told them yet, have you?"_

 _"Told them what?" Elphaba asked as she stirred the pot. The green woman turned to face her friend and was taken aback by the seriousness of Glinda's face._

 _"Told them about Oz...about...you know...'The W W of the W'," Glinda replied, hoping Elphaba would understand her 'code'._

 _It worked as Elphaba's smile fell. "No, I haven't. I didn't know when would be the right time to tell them."_

 _Glinda walked up to her friend. "Aerin's already asking to see Oz, Elphie. It's only going to get much worse as she gets older."_

 _"I know, Glin. I know."_

 _Later that evening after dinner was over, Elphaba called all of the children together into the living room._

 _"I have something I need to tell you," she told them as Fiyero sat beside her. Elphaba had already told Fiyero that she was going to tell them about their life in Oz._ _Glinda and Lysander also sat down to listen to what Elphaba had to say; their children Idina and Jeremiah sat with them._

 _"You know that Aunt Glinda and Uncle Lysander live in the Emerald City of Oz." As her three children nodded, she continued. "And I know that some of you may want to travel to Oz to go visit Aunt Glinda," she said, shooting a glance over at Aerin who just blushed._

 _"The truth is: we can never go to Oz."_

 _The shock was evident on her children's faces. "Why not?" Liir complained._

 _Sighing, Elphaba simply replied, "Because...I'm a fugitive from Oz."_

 _Both Idina and Jem gasped at their Aunt's confession as Aerin, Liir and Seraphina wore shocked expressions on their face._

 _Fiyero then spoke up. "Why don't we start from the beginning?"_

 _Elphaba nodded and started to tell them the story. She began with meeting Glinda at Shiz university (leaving out the part on how they loathed each other) through to meeting the Wizard. She explained how Chistery was a captive in the Emerald Palace which caused both Aerin and Seraphina to gasp in horror. She also told them on how she worked to free the Animals from captivity and even took care of them. A_ _s she told her story, Fiyero held her hand in support and paying attention to make sure Elphaba didn't place undue blame on herself. To Fiyero's relief, she didn't - she only focused on the subject of her fighting for the Animals._

 _She finished the story by talking about her and Fiyero's exile from Oz. "The sad part is," Elphaba continued, "because I worked to free the Animals and fought against the Wizard, I was given the name 'The Wicked Witch of the West'. As far as the people of Oz are concerned, I am a wanted criminal and your Father is considered a traitor for running away with me. That is why we cannot go back to Oz."_

 _Everybody sat in silence taking in Elphaba's story. Elphaba could see the weight of her revelation weighing on all of her children. She worried most about Aerin since she had expressed to Glinda her desire to see Oz._

 _"That's not fair," Liir softly began, and Elphaba's heart broke._

 _"I'm so sorry, sweetheart, but you needed to know the truth..."_

 _But Liir then continued. "You worked to free the Animals...they had everything taken from them...and they called **you** the criminal? That is really not fair!"_

 _"Unfortunately, life isn't fair," Fiyero answered sadly._

 _Elphaba watched Aerin to see what her daughter was feeling. However, Aerin's expression was unreadable and Elphaba couldn't figure out what she might be thinking. She didn't know until later in the evening when she saw Aerin sitting in a chair on the porch crying._

 _"Sweetheart, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"_

 _"Because it's sad...you and Dad...having to leave home...not going back...it's just sad, that's all."_

 _Elphaba sat down beside her daughter and took her in her arms. "I know you've been talking to Aunt Glinda about wanting to see the Emerald City..."_

 _"But we can't, can we?" Aerin asked between sobs._

 _Elphaba sadly shook her head. "No, we can't."_

#####

"Are you ready, sweetheart?"

"I will be in a minute, Momma!"

Aerin looked at her reflection in the mirror a saw a young woman that was very different from the girl she was a few years ago. Every part of her had now transformed into a soft jade color - gone were any traces of her white skin.

So much had changed since the start of her transformation. While her family rallied around her and her friends supported her, there were some who saw her green skin as something of an aberration.

Like Tyro.

She chuckled at the memory of "the Great Tyro incident" as Indigo had called it. A week after the fight, Tyro disappeared from school. Nobody knew why he left or where he went - there were rumors swirling around the school that he was now in some Quox-forsaken prison; others said he'd been sent to a school for children with "disciplinary issues". A few school kids wondered if Aerin had secretly killed him and buried his body where nobody could find it. One rumor even said the family moved away in shame which was preposterous since the family still lived in Aleppo.

To everyone's surprise, Tyro's parents came over to the Tiggular's house not long after the incident. The told them they came to apologize for their son's behavior as well as to make sure Aerin was ok. That moment helped the Tiggulars realize that there wasn't any ill-will from the family. There were also some kids from the school Quoxball team who also told her they did not support what Tyro did. Other players were angry at her for them losing their best Quoxball player. However, it seemed the incident died down not too long after and things got better for the most part.

As her transformation continued, however, she found herself getting anxious. Elphaba noticed this one morning.

"What's worrying you?" she asked her daughter.

Aerin let out a sardonic chuckle. "Is it that evident?"

"Yes: it's written all over your face."

"You mean my splotchy green and white face?" Aerin asked bitterly motioning to her face which now had various spots of green. "And I thought _acne_ was going to be the worst thing I had to deal with! You do realize that this is going to put a damper on any dating possibilities?"

Elphaba let out a cackle as she sat beside her daughter. "You _do_ realize who you're talking to, right?"

Aerin looked at her mother confused. Elphaba continued: "I lived my entire life thinking that my life was already set before me: living alone at the servitude of somebody else. I grew up believing nobody was going look past the green and I resigned myself to my fate."

"But then Dad came along," Aerin responded, perking up a little.

"Yes. He is the only person who has managed to break down the walls I put up for myself. It took him a long time and I thought, for sure, he was going to give up...but he didn't."

"He loves you, Mamma." Aerin noted and Elphaba nodded.

"I know. In spite of everything, he loves me."

"So...what are you saying? Don't give up hope?"

"Exactly," Elphaba replied smiling. "Believe me - I would be the last person to believe in hope. Let's just say your Father gave me some."

Sighing, Aerin then said to her mother, "I hope I meet somebody as good as Dad one day."

"You will, sweetheart. You will."

Her friendship with Laralyn, Maddie and Indigo also strengthened during this time. However, there was one memory that stood out from the others: on the day of her eighteenth birthday, her friends seemed to be unusually quiet which unnerved Aerin. They were nowhere to be found at the end of the school day which disheartened the green girl even more during the lonely walk home.

However, it all made sense as she walked through the front door of the house...

"SURPRISE!"

Her heart jumped at the cry of her family and friends. Before her stood her Mother and Father, Liir, Seraphina, Laralyn, Maddie and Indigo.

A home-made banner hung from the living room ceiling: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY AERIN!"

However, the most heartwarming sight was seeing her friends Laralyn, Maddie and Indigo there, and she burst out laughing when she saw them standing there:

They had painted their faces green.

Aerin laughed at the memory. Best. Birthday. Ever!

Now, at nineteen years old, she was off to the University of Quox. To say she was nervous about going to university was an understatement. Living in a small town meant you knew most people and they knew you. Now, she was travelling to the capital city of Quox to start a degree in Political Science and it would be the first trip away from home. Thank goodness that Laralyn also got accepted at the "UoQ" as well - at least she'd know somebody there.

"Wouldn't be ironic if they were roommates?" Fiyero joked to Elphaba after Aerin told them.

Elphaba just smiled in response. "What can I say? Like mother, like daughter."

As she brushed her shoulder length raven hair, the butterflies in her stomach became more active as she thought about leaving home. But, what worried Aerin most was how people at the university would react upon seeing her now that her 'greenification' was complete.

There was a knock at her bedroom door taking her out of her thoughts. Turning around, she saw a familiar face. Aerin's face brightened immediately. "Linny!"

Laralyn walked into Aerin's room and hugged the green woman. "Hey. Just wanted to see how you were doing?"

"Almost there," Aerin replied, motioning towards her bags. Looking back at her friend, she asked, "Are you ready?"

Taking a deep breath, Laralyn nodded. "Yep. I'll meet you at the carriage, ok?"

Aerin nodded and watched as her blonde friend left.

 _This is it_ , she realized. She grabbed her bags and headed towards the front door. As she approached, her now fifteen year old sister gave her a great big hug. "I'll miss you," Seraphina told her.

"I'll miss you too, sis."

Liir was next. Giving Aerin a hug, he told her, "Now, if anybody gives you trouble..."

Aerin laughed. "So, you're going to be my protector, are you?"

"Nah," Liir replied. "I know you can take care of yourself. But, if you need any backup..."

"...I'll let you know," Aerin interrupted while rolling her eyes at him. However, she hugged him again. "You take care," she told him.

"You too. Good luck."

As Aerin walked up to her Father, he just grabbed her in a huge hug and kissed the top of her head. "We're proud of you, kiddo. Good luck at university and, if you need anything, just write."

"Thanks, Dad, I will," she simply replied, trying hard not to let the tears fall.

Then she saw her Mother. Elphaba had also tried to hide the tears but was failing. Aerin couldn't help but let her own tears fall as both Mother and daughter embraced each other.

"I'll miss you, Mamma," Aerin cried in a choked voice.

Elphaba nodded. "I'll miss you too, sweetheart. Your Father is right: we are proud of you." Pulling back, she continued. "Remember what I said..."

"...don't give up hope," Aerin finished and Elphaba nodded. "I won't, Mamma."

Everybody watched as Aerin walked out the front door with her luggage. The carriage driver took her bags from her to pack allowing Aerin to turn around and see her family waiving to her. She gave them a little waive and then, after wiping the tears from her face, she boarded the carriage.

Fiyero held Elphaba in his arms as they watched as the carriage drove out of sight. "She's gone, Yero. Our baby's grown up."

"Yes, she has, Fae," he softly confirmed.

"Do you think she'll be ok?"

Nodding, Fiyero replied confidently, "I _know_ she'll be ok. She's just as strong as you are."

#####

Standing in the hallways of the University of Quox, Laralyn held up page with all sorts of writing on it. "Take a look at this!" she told her best friend.

Aerin took the paper from her friend. "What is it?"

"Dorm room assignments," came Laralyn's enthusiastic reply.

It took a few moments for Aerin to find her name with her room number and her roommate.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up.

"No way!"

"Yes way! We're _roommates_!" Laralyn squealed, enveloping Aerin in an enthusiastic hug.

#####

It was three weeks into the school year and Aerin stood looking out of window of her dorm room. Their third floor room overlooked the campus and she watched as the other students walked about.

Laralyn's question brought her out of her thoughts: "What do you see?"

"Just looking, admiring the view," Aerin simply replied. However, as shelooked out over the campus, she saw something that disturbed her: three blonde woman following an Animal, and it looked like they were pestering the Animal.

"Are they teasing her?" Laralyn asked her roommate.

Aerin nodded, anger starting to well up inside her. "Looks like it." She then turned to head out the door.

"Where are you going?" Laralyn asked her friend, already knowing the answer.

Aerin flatly replied, "Take a guess. You coming?"

Laralyn nodded. "Right behind you."

As they walked up to the three blondes, the could see they were tormenting a Lioness. "Ooh, what's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" The three young women laughed as the Lioness kept walking, trying to remain as calm as possible.

However, she came to a stop as a green woman and her blonde roommate walked up to the group.

Turning to the blondes, Aerin demanded: "So, why are you bugging my friend here?"

One of the girls snorted. "Go figure, it looks like weirdos come in bunches."

Laralyn laughed at the woman. "You really aren't that smart, are you? You do realize you're tormenting a _Lion_?"

"It must be the bleach they use to dye their hair, Linny," Aerin retorted. "It's affecting their brains."

One of the girls walked up to Aerin, pulling the sleeve of her sweater up. "Oh, so you want to go, greenie?"

"Holy Quox! You really _are_ stupid," Linny interjected. "I've watched my friend here in a fight and, trust me, you do _not_ want to mess with her."

However, the 'leader' of the group pulled her friend back. "Don't bother - you might catch the green."

Suddenly, there was a new voice, "Well, it didn't take long for you to get into trouble now, did it?"

They turned to see a young man walking towards them.

"Oh, are you here to stand up for a green freak and a worthless Animal?" the leader of the blondes asked but the young man shook his head chuckling.

"No. I think they can do it for themselves. I'm here to tell you that you're being watched by the Headmaster."

He pointed towards the Headmaster as he walked towards the group. "Is there a problem here?"

The three 'blondes' shook their head. "No sir," the 'leader' replied.

"Good. Now, I suggest you be on your way."

With that, the three blondes left.

Turning to Aerin and Laralyn, the Lioness said, "Thank you. They were really starting to get on my nerves."

Aerin stuck her hand out. "I'm Aerin," she said as the Lioness held out her paw and they shook. "This is my friend Laralyn."

"Sabra, pleased to meet you," the Lioness replied also shaking Laralyn's hand.

"Please call me 'Linny'," she told Sabra with a smile. "All of my friends do."

The young man then extended his hand to Aerin.

"Um...hello, Aerin...my name is Alexander," the boy replied taking her hand. "Pleased to meet you."

Aerin looked up right into the most soulful brown eyes she'd seen. She first thought Alexander looked rather nervous, but something about his stare told her it was something else.

"Likewise..." she started to reply but the words got caught in her throat.

As Alexander took her hand, she swore she could feel a spark.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi all. I am so sorry that this final chapter was late. To be honest, as I was working through finalizing my previous draft, I really didn't like where it was going. So, I ended up scrapping it and doing a full rewrite of this chapter. I'm happier on how this one played out.**

 **Sorry for the long wait.**

 **Ultimate Queen of Cliffies - There will be more of Aerin and Alexander. :)**

 **GirlyTurtle - Just keep reading...**

 **TheDoctorPieMaker - No danger of any "Laralex" in this chapter.**

 **Fae'sFlower - Oh, we will definitely be seeing the "young man" again. :)**

 **WARNING: Be ready for copious amounts of...fluff! And Fiyeraba!**

* * *

The carriage ride was about three hours long and both Elphaba and Fiyero watched as the countryside went by them. This had been the first time they'd ever travelled outside of their small town of Aleppo, mostly because they were concerned about being recognized by anybody who happened to travel from Oz to Quox; especially in a large city like Anko. However, they put that concern aside on this trip for a number of reasons:

One: it had been a long time since she was ever called the "Wicked Witch of the West" and, if anybody asked, she was a Quoxian who has always been mistaken for the "Witch".

And two: their oldest daughter was graduating from university.

Fiyero could see that Elphaba wore a melancholy expression on her face as they travelled. "What is it, Fae? What are you thinking about?"

"Just…life," she simply replied.

"Oh, so nothing too heavy," he replied jokingly.

"Perhaps," she replied with a smirk on her face. "But, for you, thinking about life would take a lot of effort."

He stuck out his tongue at her.

"Seriously, what is it?" he asked again.

Sighing, she replied, "I just can't believe that our daughter is graduating. She's all grown up, now."

"Yeah, she has," he replied, pulling her into a hug. "Are you sad?"

"No. Why would I be sad?" she asked.

"That she's growing up?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm proud of her."

He then asked, "Sad that you never got to graduate?"

However, Elphaba shook her head again. "No: this is Aerin's accomplishment, and she should be proud of what she's accomplished."

Fiyero nodded in agreement but then asked. "So, what is it?"

"I was just thinking that, if our lives had continued on as they did while we were at Shiz, we would have never run away together, gotten married and have this wonderful family. To be honest, if you had told me that I would ever be this happy, I wouldn't have believed you."

"I did, and you didn't," Fiyero replied and Elphaba rolled her eyes at him.

"Seriously, though," he continued. "In the beginning, you were scared to death about becoming a wife and mother, especially after running away from Oz. You were scared about having children, that they would be green, or that we would be discovered and everything would all fall apart. And now, you've had children, one of which is green, but life _hasn't_ fallen apart."

"That's just it," she replied. "I was so sure back then that I would lose everything and…"

"…that green girls don't get happy endings," he finished and she nodded.

"Perhaps you've sacrificed and suffered enough that you've _earned_ one," he replied thoughtfully. "I mean, we both know what your life in Oz was like. You gave so much of yourself and even then you ended up losing everything. I feel you're due for a happy ending. Don't you think?"

"I wouldn't say I deserve it…" she started to protest but he cut her off.

"Perhaps, but you ended up with one," Fiyero said with his trademark goofy grin.

"Yes, I did," Elphaba noted, with a small smile starting to form on her face.

"So, you were wrong then…green girls _do_ get their happy ending."

"Yes," she replied with a contented sigh. "You were right."

"Excuse me?" he replied teasingly. "Could you say that a little louder?"

She replied by giving him a playful shove. After a short tickling match (which Fiyero only stopped because Elphaba threatened to hex him), Fiyero took his wife in his arms again.

"Are you happy? I mean, _really_ happy?"

"Yes," she replied after some thought. "Yes, I am."

"Me too, Fae."

He leaned down and kissed his wife. However, the kiss lingered on a little more and they started kissing more passionately. She could feel the fervor grow in their kisses and, while it she wanted to melt into the moment, she pulled back slightly.

He frowned as Elphaba pulled away. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're not actually suggesting…in this _carriage_?"

"Why not?" he replied wiggling his eyebrows. "It _is_ a private carriage."

"You're an idiot," she admonished pushing him away eliciting a laugh from Fiyero.

He pulled her into a hug again and she shot him a warning look. "I promise to be good," he simply said.

"You'd better," she warned leaning back into his embrace.

After a few moments silence, she then asked him, "So, when are Liir and Seraphina going to arrive?"

"They both travelled up yesterday. Liar stopped by and picked up Evana and Sera was traveling with a family that was going to Anko themselves. They'll meet us at the bed and breakfast when we arrive."

Nodding, Elphaba sat contently as the carriage continued. Her mind drifted to the many changes in their family over the last few years. Liar discovered his talent in the culinary arts and attended a cooking school in a nearby town. It was in his second year of school when he met his girlfriend, Evana, a tall brunette from another Quoxian town who was in her first year. Liar brought her to meet his parents after a few months of dating and, while Evana was shocked at Elphaba's green skin, she warmed to the Elphaba not long after meeting her.

Seraphina was in her last year of high-school and was already looking for which university she would attend. He had always been drawn to drama and even had some roles in the local theatre. While Elphaba and Fiyero were concerned about her desire to pursue an acting career, she assured them she would minor in business in case her acting career "didn't pan out".

Then there was Aerin and Alexander…

Aerin stood at the front porch of the bed and breakfast, nerves fluttering in her stomach. While she was so happy to see Seraphina, Liir and Evana, she was excited that she would see her parents again.

"Relax," a voice softly commanded. "You're buzzing with so much nervous energy, you could power a small town."

Turning around, she smiled as Alexander came towards her. "I know. I'm just excited they're coming - that's all."

He chuckled as he put his arms around her. "That's one of the things I love about you: your enthusiasm."

"And I love the fact you keep me level-headed," she added.

"Is that the only reason?" he asked her playfully and she rolled her eyes at him.

"No, but it's one of them," she replied as she leaned in and kissed him.

She then noticed he looked a little stressed as well. "What about you? Are you ok?"

"Yeah," he quickly replied. "Just stuff on my mind."

"Anything in particular?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You'll find out later, I promise," he simply said. "Are you going to wait out here for them?"

"Yeah. They'll be here any minute."

Nodding, he kissed her one more time. "OK, but if you need anything, I'll be inside."

"OK. Love you."

"Love you too, babe."

She smiled as he left, and her mind drifted to the day their relationship started...

#####

It was a cool autumn evening in their second year of school. While not exactly the top of her class, Aerin was doing extremely well in her studies for her Political Science degree. Alexander was currently studying immigration law en route to becoming a lawyer.

They sat in a small coffee shop outside the university grounds. Laralyn had told Aerin she wasn't feeling well and wanted to go lie down. Truth be told, Aerin supposed Laralyn was faking her "headache" so she and Alexander could be alone.

They spent the evening talking about many things; however, one of the subjects turned to family.

"So, you mother also has green skin?" Alexander asked, his voice sounded more curious than surprised.

Aerin nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. "Yeah. That's where I got my skin color from. Apparently, when I was young, I always wanted to be green like my Mother."

"I think it's pretty," he simply said, causing Aerin to blush.

She then changed the subject around. "So, what about you? Do you have any siblings?"

"Just one younger sister," he answered.

"And you all grew up here, right?" she then added.

However, he answered, "Kinda. We moved to Quox when when my sister and I were young. My family used to live in the rural areas of the Quadlings before moving here."

Aerin's head snapped up in shock. "Wait...you used to live in the Quadlings? As in _Oz_?"

"Yeah," he replied nonchalantly. "My family moved from Oz to Quox when I was young. It was a decision my parents made when..."

He stopped speaking when he noticed the scared look on Aerin's face. "Aerin, what's wrong?"

Suddenly, Alexander's eyes went wide as a realization struck him. _Aerin has green skin...her Mom has green skin...no, she couldn't be..._

Aerin realized she was in a whole lot of trouble.

"I've gotta go."

She quickly grabbed her bag to run; however, Alexander softly grabbed her hand.

"Aerin, wait. Please hear me out first."

The green woman stared at him for a few anxious moments. His face bore no hostility but he looked like he really wanted to talk to her.

Sitting down, Aerin motioned for him to talk.

"Yes, we are from Oz. My parents moved to Quox because they were angry at what was happening to the Animals in Oz. My best friend was a Bear cub named Caral; his family lived down the road from us and our families got along really well. Caral and I used to play in the rivers close to house. When the Animal bans started, we were all scared - especially Caral and his family. We had hoped the Wizard would reverse them; but, as time passed, things got worse. The stories we heard about the treatment of Animals were horrible. Caral's family realized they had to flee Oz and his dad talked my Dad into leaving. So, my family decided to travel with them. That's why we ended up here."

Aerin realized he was telling the truth. "So, you don't support the Ozian Animal bans?"

"No," he replied as he pulled out his wallet. After opening it, he handed Aerin a picture of a young boy and a Bear cub standing together - arms around each other's shoulder.

"Caral?" she asked him and he nodded.

"Yeah," he replied. "He and his family lived next door when we moved. While it was painful to leave home, we made a new home here. At least Caral and his family didn't have to worry anymore."

Aerin nodded in understanding. The anxiousness she felt dissipated as she continued to stare at the picture.

Alexander felt a lump form in his throat - he didn't know if he should ask her.

"So...you mother...was she the one freeing the Animals? The green woman who they called, 'The Wicked Witch of the West'?"

Aerin's gaze shot up from the picture at his question. The nervousness she felt earlier returned. Should she tell him the truth and risk blowing her secret?

She looked at him sitting there. As always, his face held no malice or distain; just worried.

"I swear your secret is safe with me," he quickly added.

"How can I believe you?" she sharply asked him. "How can I know you won't go running to summon the Ozian authorities to..."

"I love you."

She felt like she was just smacked in the face. Her voice cracked as she asked, "What?"

Mentally kicking himself for blurting out his declaration, he tried again. "Ever since we met, I thought you were beautiful. The more I got to know you, the more I started to feel attracted to you. I thought it was a passing feeling...even tried to convince myself as such. But, I came to the realization that I was falling in love with you."

Nodding, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he continued. "So, now you know. I know this has come out of nowhere and it's probably come as a shock. Please don't answer right away - just think ab"

He was interrupted by Aerin capturing his lips with hers. The electricity shot through them as they drank each other's kisses. Only the need for air broke them apart.

Breathlessly, she told him, "I think I love you too."

#####

Ever since that day, he kept his word. Elphaba was more than worried when Aerin wrote her that he knew the truth. Fiyero reminded her that Aerin was a good judge of character and suggested that Elphaba trust her as well.

However, as the months passed and both Fiyero and Elphaba watched as their relationship grew, Elphaba realized that Aerin had, in deed, found a good man.

Aerin's thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a carriage pulling up to the bed and breakfast pulling up. Her face lit up upon the sight of her Mother.

"Momma!" she cried, running up and enveloping her mother in in a bone crushing hug.

"Hey, sweetheart," she simply replied. "How are you?"

"Good," Aerin replied happily. "So glad you made it."

"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Elphaba replied. Looking past Aerin, she could see Alexander walking towards them. "Hello, Alexander," she simply said giving the young man a hug. "Good to see you."

"You too, Mrs. Tigguar," he replied. "How as the trip?"

"Long," Fiyero answered for his wife as she shook Alexander's hand. "How are you doing?"

"Good, thank you." After Aerin had finished hugging her father. As the Tiggular parents checked into their room, a rather nervous Alexander then asked Fiyero, "I know you just got here, but may I have a few minutes, Mr. Tigguar? I'd like to talk to you about something."

The look in the young man's eye told Fiyero that he should take him up on his request.

"Fae, could you please unpack? I'll see you there a little later on. OK?"

"Why? What's going on?"

"Guy talk," he replied as he and Alexander went for a walk. Aerin just shrugged and helped her Mother unpack their bags into the room.

It was a quite a while later when Fiyero returned to her. Elphaba asked him, "What did Alexander want to talk to you about?"

However, he just smiled a knowing smile. "You'll find out later."

Then, it hit her.

"You mean..." she cried excitedly.

He nodded in response. "Yep."

#####

Graduation day was a blur for Aerin. She stood with her friends Laralyn and Sabra in their black and gold gowns - each of them elated at their graduation.

"Are you ready?" Aerin asked her friends.

"Yes," Laralyn excitedly replied. "I can't believe it's all over."

Aerin hugged her friend and now ex-roommate who was starting to get misty-eyed. "Don't cry...you'll ruin your makeup," she joked and the two women just laughed.

They were both enveloped in a hug by Sabra. "I'm going to miss you guys. Promise you'll visit at least once."

"We will," Aerin replied.

Laralyn nodded in agreement. "Absolutely we will." Taking a deep sigh, she then asked her friends, "So, what plans do you have?"

Sabra shook her head. "I'm not sure, but a local businessman has told me to talk to him after I graduate."

"That is awesome," Aerin replied excitedly. "Already getting a job?"

"We'll see," the Lioness replied with a wink. "What about you guys?"

"I'm not sure," Aerin replied. "I haven't given it too much thought."

"Perhaps your life will include a certain young man?" Laralyn asked waggling her eyebrows. Aerin rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Who knows? Right now, I just want to focus on today."

"I completely agree," Sabra noted. "Let's get seated, shall we?"

They made their way to the assigned seating as well. Aerin saw her family sitting towards the back, all waiving at them. She noticed the proud look her mother wore and it made her feel happy. As the ceremony began, the Headmaster of the University waxed on about how this is the "beginning of the next chapter of their lives", on how they would "continue to keep learning" as long as they lived. While he talked, Aerin sneaked a look a few rows back - there, she saw Alexander sitting there. He looked his way and gave her a smile, and her heart fluttered for just a moment.

It was then time for each of the students to be conferred their degrees. As Aerin walked up to the stage that held all manor of dignitaries, her name was announced to the crowd. She could hear the cheers from her family and friends - she rolled her eyes at the embarrassing whoops. She knelt down before the Headmaster who softly placed a dark blue hood over her black and gold gown. He then held out to her black leather folder open so she could see the contents therein. In the excitement she could only focus on a few words written in large calligraphy:

...Aerin Galinda Tiggular...

...Bachelor of Political Science...

She was brought out of her stupor by the Headmaster's question: "Amazed?"

Shaking her head as she closed the folder, she replied,"No. Just happy and...proud."

"As you should be," he softly said as he shook her hand. "Congratulations, Miss Tiggular."

"Thank you, sir," she replied as she stood up.

As she walked off of the stage, she couldn't help but raise her hands and smile for joy.

After the ceremony finished, both Aerin and Alexander's family gathered for dinner at a nearby restaurant. Sabra, Laralyn and their families also joined them. Dinner was a lively affair with all families engaged in conversation. However, before dinner began, Alexander stood up to address the gathering.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please?"

The table quieted down and Elphaba instinctively reached for Fiyero's hand. Fiyero gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Aerin looked confused. "What's going on?" she asked him.

He winked in response.

"First of all, thank you for joining us tonight. In the last few weeks, leading up to our final exams, all of us started talking about what we wanted to do with our lives after university. At that time, since we were approaching finals, we decided to focus strictly on our exams and worry later about what comes next. However, to be completely honest, I have given a lot thought about my future and how I want it to be. I thought especially about _who_ I wanted to spend my future with."

He then turned to Aerin who looked dumbstruck at Alexander's speech.

She then gasped as he knelt down on one knee - shocked tears pricked at her eyes.

He then continued. "Aerin, the truth is, I can't imagine a future without you. You have made my life so much better and I love you with all my heart."

He then pulled out a small box, opening it to reveal a ring. "Aerin Galinda Tiggular...would you please do me the honor of being my wife? Will you marry me?"

Happy tears streamed down Aerin's face and she found she was unable to speak. Instead, she just nodded, and as the gathering around them applauded loudly, Alexander placed the ring on her finger. Aerin stared down at her hand and looked at the ring - a gold band with three diamonds atop.

Elphaba and Fiyero watched as Aerin tightly wrapped her arms around him as he stood up. They laughed as a teary eyed Laralyn kept insisting that Alexander move over so she could hug her best friend and see the ring. It was at that moment that Fiyero and Elphaba walked up to Alexander.

"Congratulations," Fiyero happily said, shaking Alexander's hand. "Welcome to the family."

"Thank you, Mr. Tiggular," he excitedly replied.

As Elphaba hugged him, she said, "We couldn't think of anybody better for our daughter."

"Thank you," he replied. "That means a lot to me."

That evening, as they lay in bed in each other's arms, Elphaba spoke softly.

"Do you think they'll be happy?"

Nodding, Fiyero replied, "I do. I think Alexander loves Aerin very much as she loves him. I think they'll be fine."

" _'And they lived happily ever after'_?" she teased but he nodded.

"Yes, they will _live_ happily ever after. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"

Elphaba chuckled at his response, realizing he was referring to them. "Yes, it does."

It was a few moments before Elphaba spoke again.

"Thank you," she softly murmured.

Fiyero looked at his wife quizzically. "For what?"

"For making my happy ending come true."

"Fae, I think I should be thanking _you,_ " he simply replied.

She turned over and looked into his eyes. In the candlelight, Fiyero could see how happy she was and it made him smile. "I love you, Fae," he simply said.

"And I love you, Yero."

He tried to pull her close but she pulled away for a moment.

She wore a strange look on her face.

"Fae?"

"Kiss me," she commanded hungrily.

And he did just that.

* * *

 **The end.**

 **Thank you,** **vinkunwildflowerqueen, for allowing me to write this story.**


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